Exercising belt for massaging machines



July 7, 1931. F. x. MEEHAN EXERCISING BELT FOR MASSAGING MACHINES FiledJuly 19, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 y 1931- F. X. MEEHAN 1,812,891

' EXERCISING BELT FOR MASSAGING MACHINES Filed July 19, 1928 2Sheets-Sheet 2 /A/ vswr s FRA NC/6 X. MEHA a zwwdw Patented July 7, 1931UNITED STATES PATENT OFFEE i 1 FRANCIS X. MEEHAIN', OF ST. LOUIS,MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR F ONE-HALF TO ALFRED D.

' LUEHRMANN, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI Y EXERCISING BELT FOR MASSAGINGMACHINES Application filed July 19, 1928. Serial No. 293,803.

- This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements inexercising or massaging machines, and has for its general object toprovide means for decreasing the severity of the action of such machineswithout affecting the operation or changing the general character of thefunction performed by such machine. 7

There are various types of these machines on the market, but they areall characterized by the fact that two arms are rapidly reciprocated inalternation and a belt, usually constructed of canvas and having itsends secured to these arms, is applied to the body and rapidly drawnback and forth to pro duce a massaging effect upon the part of the bodyto which it is applied.

While many of these machines have adjustable means for either reducingor increasing the severity of the action of the belt, the adjustment ofthe machines is not always easy, especially for women, and cannot beeflected while the machine is in use. Other makes of machines in quitegeneral use have no means for adjusting the degree of the agitatingaction whatever.

Many persons have had operations of one kind or another performed onthem, leaving the particular part of the body where the operation wasperformed very sensitive; or some part of the body may be sensitive dueto some abnormal condition, and a massaging action of these machinesthat would be pleasant and stimulating at one part of the body will betoo severe, and even pain ful, when applied at such a sensitive part ofthe body. In such cases, the one using the machine must either becontent with a gentle action for the whole body, or must interrupt thetreatment and adjust the machine to accommodate its motion to somesensitive part of the body;

The broad object of my invention is attained by using a belt whichembodies in its structure means for absorbing, or minimizing, apart ofthe reciprocating or agitat ing motion of the machine, whereby to renderthe movement of the belt less abrupt and itsaction less severe in itseffect upon the user.

Belts constructed according to my invention may be readily substitutedfor the nonyielding or canvas belts generally employed, or in someembodiments of the invention, the resilient or elastic sections of thebelt may be made removable and non-stretchable or non-elastic sectionsbe inserted in their stead.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a plan View of an exercisingbelt having rubber loops;

Figure 2 is a view in side elevation of the same; Figure 3 is a planview of an exercising belt having rubber insert sections in its endportions; r

' Figure 4 is a view in side elevation of the same; 7

Figure 5 is a plan view on an enlarged scale showing an end of one ofthe sections of the belt shown in Figs. 3 and 4 provided with aretaining clip; I Figure 6 is a View in side elevation on an enlargedscale showing oneof the rubber inserts used in the construction of thebelt shown in Figs. 3 and 4;

Figure? is an enlarged sectional 'VlBW on the line 77 of Fig. 4; Figure8 is a View in side elevation of a belt'made entirely of rubber;

Figure 9 is a plan view of a belt having coil springs secured in its endportions;

Figure 10. is a view in side elevation of the same; and 1 Figure 11 is aView slightly in perspective showing the manner of using the beltillustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, which will serve as illustrating themanner of using the other forms of theexercising belt shown.

Referring now to the drawings, the numetal 1 indicates one of the twohooks on the two arms of an eXe-rcising'or massaging machine 2,: on:which hooks theend of abelt are adapted to be remova'bly secured. T6this end, each end of the belt is provided with.

a loop, hie-h maybe readily lIlSej r 'Qd over the hooks 1i. When-soapplied and with the hooks 1 vibrating rapidly in alternation, the

belt will be drawn rapidly back andiforth on V the body of the user,producing a more or less violent agitation of' the body,;ldepending uponthe degree of severity of the vibrating action:en ployedl- Forregulating" the severity of. the action. of'th'e exercising belt, I

provide a belt having the. quality of. elas ticity of resiliency. Y

. Referring to Figs.. 1 and 2, the belt is com structed of a canvasportion3 having? rub?- ber l'oops' lion it's'en'ds.

In Figs. 3 and 4, Lsh'ow rubber Sections 51, inserted and removablysecured inthere spective end portions: of a canvas'belt. Tothisend",.the canvas end sections 67-, extending from thele'atherlloops-7,.havesccured ontheir ends retaining clips 8 (Fig;-5)',.providing recesses 9 closed at their bottoms and having a: narrowslit or' opening in: their forward ends, as shown at 10,.and a mainsection of canvas belt 11 has its opposite ends provided with similarclips '12 constructed: in the: same manner as'the clips 8 shown Fig. 5;Each of the rubber sections 51hasaits" ends provided with heads 13adapted to fitsnuglyzinto the recesses ofthe respective setsof clips8amd 12, as shown Figs. 3 and 7. It be readily understood that. asimilar sectionof I non=stretchable material could be substituted at anytime for the rubber sections referreddzo'; In Fig. 8; theentire belt 14,including'the loops, is made ofrubber, one of theloopsbe= "ing shownandindicated at15. e is ofzcanvas,

- In Figs-.- 9 and, 1-0, the belt 16: and the holding loops 17, ofleather. A se= ries of coil springs 18-isinserted between each end ofthe canvas portion: and a loop 1'7, V

In all of the forms of the invention, it will be seen that inuse, thepullingactionzofl each I 1 of the hooks 1 will be partly absorbed:by'the resilient part" of the-belt'and thus the degree example, if therubber of which the belt is made, or the rubber sections thereof, or thecoil springs, whichever are used, are of such strength as to yield onlyunder great pressure, the degree of the agitating action will onlybehand rubber or springs that yield readily are employed, the degree ofagitating action will be decreased, to a greater ,extentfor a. given"degree of pr ssure' ofthe body onthe Theillustrated embodiments of myinvention are not intendedas exclusive, as I realize that variousmodifications maybe made in the construction of such a belt as Icontemplate without departing fromvthe broad. idea cf miy invention:aseinbo'diedsin the claiin.

1i claim: a 1 1 exercisingbelt for massaging: machines havingziaimainsection provided at each of its ends. with I retaining. device, endsections each. of'whichhas at its outer" enda unitary engagingmember andat its inner end. a retaineing: device, and rubber belt sections havingtheir opposite ends secured,- respectively, thcflcorresponding retainingdevices of said niarin'an'd-iend sections; In testimony whereof, I. havehereunto set hand.

slightly decreased; ;];f=,: on the other rRA-noisX. MEEHANQ fioo oftheragitating action on-the body ofthe A V user, lessened. The user can,himself,- read ily increasethe. severity of: this action by pressing hisbody more firmly against the belt to stretch it orextend itselasticsections,

so that the belt, having a part of itselas ticity already takenup-','will respond more directly,or1positive1y,:to theagitatingac- I 7tion of the movement 'ofthe hooks 1'.

. It will, of course, be apparent that belts V haying cnfierent degreesof elasticity err efliencyma be used theenaracterof the r agitatingaction varied accordingly For i 1 no its

